This invention relates to a device for a sailboard, and specifically to a protective deflector for preventing the mast and boom assembly of the sailboard from striking the bow of the sailboard.
The sport of sailboarding, or windsurfing, has developed into a world-wide industry. Advanced technology has been applied to the construction of the sailboard, including the board, the mast and boom assembly, the sails and the various devices for securing the mast and boom assembly to the body.
The board has a shape similar to the common surfboard, with some differences. The board usually provides a slot running along, or a hole centered upon, the longitudinal axis of the board for securing the mast to the board. The starboard and port sides of the board are a distance apart at the aft portion of the board and, as the sides approach the bow, the sides gradually slope towards the longitudinal axis of the board until they meet at the bow. The board has an upwardly-increasing slope in the vicinity of the bow. The bow of the sailboard functions like the bow of a ship, in that it parts the water towards the starboard and port sides.
There are drawbacks to the combination of the surfboard-like shape. When a windsurfer falls off the sailboard the mast is released or, on some occasions, the mast and the windsurfer are catapulted forward by an extreme gust of wind. It is quite common for the mast and boom to fall directly forward and strike the bow. When this occurs, and particularly when the windsurfer is catapulted, the force of the mast against the bow can crack or break the board because the bow receives the full force of the mast. On the other hand, when the mast hits the port, starboard, or aft edges, there is typically little or no damage to the board because the curvature of these sides and the angle between the mast and these sides causes the mast to be deflected, without delivering the full force of the mast to the surface. It would be desirable to prevent such damage to the bow of the sailboard.